World leaders have expressed concern after Israeli police prevented Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Sunday.
According to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pizzaballa had attempted to travel to the church in the Old City of Jerusalem with the Rev. Francesco Ilpo, the church’s official patriarch, to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.
It said both were stopped en route and forced to turn back, making it “the first time in centuries” that Palm Sunday Mass could not be celebrated at the church, Christianity’s holiest site, where many believe Jesus was crucified.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that police had intervened to stop Pizzaballa “out of special concern for their safety”, claiming “there was no malicious intent.”
The statement said all holy sites in the Old City, which is home to Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites, were closed to worshipers when the war with Iran began in February.
“Iran has repeatedly targeted holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one attack, missile fragments fell just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“Subject to necessary restrictions, freedom of worship will be maintained,” Israeli police said in a statement.
The formal Palm Sunday procession, which usually attracts thousands of Christians, was canceled last week in line with a ban on large gatherings imposed by Israel, with the Latin Patriarchate citing “restrictions imposed by the conflict.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said that the two men “were proceeding privately and without any procession or formal act.”
It said the incident sets “a serious precedent” and “disregards the sensitivities of the billions of people around the world who look to Jerusalem during this week.”
In a statement on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “solidarity” with Pizzaballa, Ilpo and others “whom the Israeli authorities prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulcher today.”
“Denying entry to the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custodians of the Holy Land, especially on a center of faith like Palm Sunday, is a crime not only against believers but against every community that recognizes religious freedom,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Israeli police decision on Ax, which he said was “involved in a worrying series of violations of the status of holy sites in Jerusalem.”
Before the event, Pope Leo XIV began his Palm Sunday address at the Vatican by emphasizing that his prayers “are more than ever with the Christians of the Middle East.” He repeated the message in an X post after the incident, without directly addressing the incident.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said the incident was “unacceptable and offensive”, while the country’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would call Israel’s ambassador to “obtain clarification” on what happened.
Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, said on X that the incident was “painful for all Christians”, while Pina Picierno, vice-president of the European Parliament, said the incident was a “serious, unprecedented and unacceptable violation of religious freedom.”
Following the outcry, Netanyahu’s office said authorities would create “a plan in the coming days to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site” as the rest of Easter week is marked.
Palm Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, when his followers laid palm branches along his path.
